


I Need Your Hand

by FervidAsAFlame



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, POV Gwen (Merlin), POV Outsider, Reunions, School Dances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:14:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22393111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FervidAsAFlame/pseuds/FervidAsAFlame
Summary: Gwen manages to drag her best friend Arthur to the university’s semi-formal dance, even though he won’t stop sulking that his boyfriend can’t make it. Luckily, Gwen’s got a surprise for him.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 114
Kudos: 830
Collections: The Merlin/Arthur Kiss Fest 2019





	I Need Your Hand

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to the moderators of the Kiss Fest and especially thank you for the amnesty week! I woke up earlier this week with this plot bunny and if it hadn’t been for the fest still going on I probably wouldn’t have bothered getting it down. But thanks to the extra motivation -- here’s a spring kiss :)
> 
> As always, a big thank you to Julia Joy for the speedy beta and for putting up with me talking about Merthur non-stop. I love you!

The air is unusually warm in the spring twilight as the small group makes their way across campus. Laughter floats through the air as they pass beneath the trees with their fresh blossoms and Gwen is nearly bouncing with anxiety and anticipation. She glances around at the faces of her friends and can tell that she isn’t the only one. Well – except Arthur of course. 

Everyone has paired off in couples as they make their way from the student housing on the far end of campus to the conference hall where the spring semi-formal dance is being held. Gwen holds Lance’s hand as they turn up to cross the quad. Freya and Elena, wearing complementary gossamer dresses, trail behind them, occasionally putting their heads together to giggle with excitement. Leon and Sophia follow next, looking handsome in matching suits and lost in their own world. At the rear of the group Gwaine has sidled beside Arthur, who looks none too happy about it. 

“Come on, princess,” Gwaine singsongs, draping an arm over Arthur’s shoulder. “Stop pouting. I’ll be your date tonight.” 

Gwen bites her lip and glares daggers at Gwaine over her shoulder. It had taken her _days_ of wheedling to get Arthur to agree to come to the dance after he found out that his boyfriend couldn’t make it. If Gwaine ruins everything now, Gwen will skin him alive -- and she makes sure her glare says so. 

Luckily, Arthur just pushes Gwaine away and doesn’t turn around and stomp off like she feared, but he does shove his hands in the pockets of his charcoal suit moodily. In fairness to Gwaine, what his face is doing can truly only be described as pouting. Gwen rolls her eyes at Lance and they share a secret smile. 

None of their group has met Arthur’s boyfriend yet, which is ridiculous as they’d all been friends since the beginning of term. They’ve tried for months to get Arthur to invite him to campus for a weekend, but Arthur said that since his boyfriend didn’t have a car or money for a train, it was easier for Arthur to drive the three hours north to him. Later, when Gwen had pressed about why Arthur couldn’t just pay for his train ticket to come visit, Arthur had admitted that his boyfriend’s single room was also motivation. 

It’s hard to believe now, but Gwen hadn’t actually liked Arthur Pendragon all that much when she first met him – he was too brash and too posh and thought entirely too highly of himself. But when Gwen’s roommate Sophia had started dating Arthur’s roommate Leon, she found herself grudgingly getting to know him better. 

One night when they were all out at the pub, she had watched curiously as Arthur politely turned down a pretty girl’s repeated advances. When she wasn’t getting the picture, he had finally blurted out that he had a long distance boyfriend and was deeply in love with him. The girl had instantly softened and spent the next five minutes gushing about how adorable that was before buying Arthur a drink and drifting to the other side of the pub. 

Gwen had laughed when she left and nudged Arthur’s side. 

“Good cover! I bet that gets them to leave you alone.” 

Arthur had just glared at her and excused himself to the loo. 

“ _Does_ he have a boyfriend?” she asked in disbelief as soon as he was out of hearing range. 

Leon just groaned and bowed his forehead to the table. 

“He does. And you didn’t hear this from me, but they are, in fact, deeply in love. The video chats I have walked in on.” He took a sip of his ale and stared into the distance while Gwen and Sophia laughed. 

Gwen had been surprised – Arthur didn’t seem like any of the other gay men she had met. But Leon told them that Arthur video chatted with his boyfriend every single night and was texting him constantly. 

“He acts like he’s got this great lot of friends and admirers, but trust me – any time he’s on his phone it’s because his boyfriend is talking to him. Don’t tell him I said anything to you though, he’s weirdly private about it.” 

After that, Gwen – who admired devotion in a man -- did warm to Arthur a bit. And little by little over the course of the semester, he had revealed more and more of his character to her. Sure he loved to brag about his prowess on the football pitch, but when she got sick with flu during midterms, Arthur had fetched her soup from the dining hall and made a trip to the shops to buy her medicine. He may insist on wearing ridiculous designer sunglasses and 500£ shoes, but he noticed her making eyes at Lance when she and Sophie had come to watch football practice and had introduced them. Lance told her later that soon after they started dating, Arthur had pulled him aside and told him that she was a good woman and not to break her heart or he’d be off the team. Now she could barely remember a time when she and Arthur hadn’t been good friends. 

But Leon had been right about one thing – Arthur was very private about his personal life. He readily told anyone who tried to chat him up that he had a serious boyfriend, but any attempt to pull more details out of him was met with obfuscation or straight out silence. 

“What’s your boyfriend’s name anyway?” Gwen had asked one afternoon when they were revising in the library. 

Arthur leveled his eyes at her.

“Why?”

“I’m just asking,” Gwen had said exasperatedly. “What’s he like?”

“He’s an idiot,” Arthur said, returning to his work. 

“But you’re 'deeply in love' with him?” Gwen teased. 

“Yes,” Arthur said, meeting her eyes defiantly. 

“What, are you afraid we won’t like him or something?”

“Not at all. You’d probably like him more than me.”

“Why not have him down for a weekend then?”

Arthur shuffled the pages of his notes pointedly. “Did you do the reading for Dr. Peterson?”

She had taken the hint and stopped prying after that, but her heart melted just a little Arthur when glanced at his phone and couldn’t stop his private smile. 

Which is why, when she received a text message from one Merlin Emrys, she had been only too happy to help. 

_Hi Gwen -- I’m sorry for contacting you like this, but I was hoping you could do me a favor!_

_Oh my god, this is Merlin Emrys by the way. Arthur’s boyfriend. Probably should have started with that -- sorry! I snuck your number off Arthur’s phone last weekend._

_Anyway, told Arthur I couldn’t come to the dance because I have a lab practicum, but he seemed so disappointed that I asked my professor and she’s letting me do it early!!!_

_I want to surprise Arthur – can you help???_

They’re getting closer to the stone archway where Gwen had told Merlin to wait for them. Gwen takes one last look back at Arthur. The pout has melted off his face, but Gwen’s heart twists a little to see how sadly he’s looking at Freya and Elena’s clasped hands. She knows that in about thirty seconds Arthur’s sadness will vanish completely, but she can’t help falling back a moment to take Arthur’s hand and squeeze it. He looks at her like she’s being ridiculous, but squeezes back tightly. 

“It’s going to be a good night,” she tells him with a grin. 

“Stop smiling,” he grouses at her, taking back his hand to straighten his tie. They’re passing under the archway and Gwen is just barely able to resist jumping up and down with excitement. 

“You stop smiling,” she shoots back at him. Arthur frowns.

“I’m not—” 

“Excuse me,” comes a deep voice from behind them. “I’m looking for Arthur Pendragon?” 

Arthur entire body freezes, then he whips around. 

A tall, besuited man with a mop of dark hair and mischievous eyes steps out of the shadows and onto the pavement.

“Tall? Blond? Full of himself? Sound familiar?” 

Arthur’s face splits into a grin and he lets out a wild laugh. Gwen covers her mouth with one hand and feels her eyes fill with tears as she realizes that she’s seeing her friend truly happy for the first time. The change in Arthur’s body language is instant -- his shoulders relax, every line in his face melts away, and his eyes fill with a light she’s never glimpsed before. And she understands now how much it costs him to be away from Merlin, why he can’t bring himself to talk about him casually. Because there’s nothing casual about them.

“Merlin?” he says, taking a tentative step toward him. “What are you doing here?” 

“Well, I _thought_ I was going to a dance with my boyfriend, but if he’s not going to greet me properly, I might as well –“ Merlin is cut off when Arthur barrels into him, lifting him in an embrace and spinning him around. 

“Oi, let’s not have this again! I’m not a bloody girl!” Merlin protests, but he’s grinning as wide as Arthur is. Arthur obediently lets him slide to the ground and then pulls him in for a kiss. Gwen hears giggles and “awws” coming from the group. Someone wolf-whistles. She tries very hard not to watch, but the way that Merlin’s body immediately melts into Arthur’s, the way that normally reserved Arthur has one hand fisted in the hair at the base of Merlin’s neck, the way their mouths are coming together over and over again with increasing hunger -- well, she’s only human. 

Finally, at Lance’s gentle cough, she manages to tear her eyes away. He gives her a reproachful look. 

“You know how Arthur is … give them a minute,” he whispers. 

Merlin has already started to detangle himself -- a slow process as every time he tries to back away Arthur just sways closer for another kiss. 

“Arthur,” he says with a laugh. “Maybe you’d like to at least introduce me to your friends before we give them any more of a show.” 

“No, please,” Gwaine grins. “By all means -- go on.”

Gwaine’s voice seems to bring Arthur back to himself with a start. Gwen watches with amusement as he clears his throat and turns around, a flush creeping up his cheeks. He glances at Merlin, who is smiling at him fondly, and he seems to stand up a little straighter. He takes Merlin’s hand and tugs him a step closer. 

“Everyone, this is Merlin Emrys, my boyfriend,” despite his evident embarrassment, Arthur can’t keep a smile from his face as he speaks the words. Merlin waves at the group amiably and then makes a quick round, shaking hands as Arthur does individual introductions. When they get to Gwen, Merlin throws his arms around her. 

“My co-conspirator,” he says gleefully. “Thank you so much -- that went off perfectly. Your directions were brilliant, I got here just in time and knew exactly where I was going!” 

“It was my pleasure,” Gwen says, grinning back. “It’s so nice to finally meet you – we thought Arthur would keep you hidden from us forever!” 

Arthur looks back and forth between them suspiciously. 

“So that’s how you pulled this off,” he says with a mock glare. “Working with my friends behind my back.”

Merlin just kisses his cheek, making him pink up again. 

“Stop pretending you don’t like it."

Once they arrive at the dance, Gwen loses track of them pretty quickly – after all, she’s wrapped up in enjoying the night with her own prince charming. But she does have to admit that the glimpses she keeps catching of the happy couple just make the night even more special. When she goes with Lance to get a drink, Arthur and Merlin are bickering playfully over who’s going to pay. While she and Lance are chatting with some classmates, she spies them at a dim table near the wall, Arthur stroking Merlin’s hands reverently as they lean together in deep conversation. On the dance floor she sees them swaying to a slow song with foreheads pressed together. Then ten minutes later a song with a heavy bass line comes on and she spots Merlin playfully grinding against Arthur – who looks equal parts flustered and turned on. Soon after, Gwen goes to the ladies room and passes Merlin coming out of the gents. He taps his nose and gives her a wink, so she waits to laugh at a disheveled Arthur when he sheepishly follows ten seconds later. 

By the time they make last calls, Merlin’s gotten a yellow boa from somewhere, convinced their strictest professor to dance to YMCA with him, and is on a first name basis with half the people in the dance hall. Arthur is gazing at him like he hung the moon.

“This is so weird,” Gwen whispers to Lance. Their group – minus Gwaine, who had disappeared with a couple halfway through the dance -- is all varying levels of tipsy and the night is considerably cooler as they make their way back to the student housing. “It’s like it’s the same Arthur, but also totally different?”

“The power of love,” Lance smiles softly at her. “They balance each other.” 

Which is true – Arthur refuses and Merlin cajoles, Arthur brags and Merlin’s sharp tongue takes him down a notch, Merlin gets overly excited and a squeeze of Arthur’s hand steadies him. It’s almost dizzying to be near it. What Gwen and Lance have is nothing like that yet, but walking in the night air with his jacket over her shoulders and his hand warm in hers, she feels certain that they’ll get there someday. She slips an arm around his waist and smiles up at him. Behind them Merlin and Arthur argue animatedly about whether pancakes or waffles are better. 

“Is that foreplay?” Sophia mock whispers. 

“Yes,” Leon answers emphatically. 

“Stop it you two,” Gwen groans, “You’re making me hungry!”

They do stop -- for a moment. But then Merlin leans in and whispers something to Arthur, which sets them both off laughing again. Freya rolls her eyes at Gwen, but they’re both smiling. 

By the time they arrive back at the dorms, Arthur is leaning against Merlin and kissing his neck. 

“God, it really was foreplay,” Sophia says, eyeing them speculatively. 

“I _told_ you,” Leon replies. “This isn’t even the first time I’ve heard them have that argument.” 

They pause to say goodnight before heading to their respective rooms – Gwen arranged to stay in Lance’s RA single so that Leon can stay with Sophia to give Merlin and Arthur some privacy. Which is going to be much needed, judging by the way they’re blatantly eye fucking as the rest of the friends exchange hugs and plan to meet for brunch in the morning.

Arthur tears himself away from Merlin long enough to give Gwen a tight hug. 

“Thank you so much,” Arthur says, pulling back with his hands on her shoulders and staring at her in the overly-earnest way of the truly drunk. “This was such a wonderful surprise.” 

“Of course,” she says, squeezing his forearms. Merlin pushes Arthur away to pull Gwen into an embrace of his own. 

“Thank you, Gwen! I’m so glad I have your number now. Can’t wait to have someone to commiserate with the next time he’s in a strop over what they’re serving in the dining hall.” 

“Hey,” Arthur yells from down the hall, where he’s waiting by the door to their room. “I heard that.”

Merlin gives Gwen one last grin and races after Arthur, slapping his arse as he passes and then laughing wildly when Arthur tackles him into the room with a growl.

“It’s quiet hours,” Lance says fretfully. Gwen smiles and wraps her arm around his waist. 

“You’re off duty tonight,” she reminds him, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “Let’s just go to bed.” 

Later, curled up and dozing on Lance’s bare chest, her thoughts can’t help but drift down the hall to Arthur and Merlin. She hopes that they’re feeling as warm and content as she is, and feels certain that they are. 

*

Down the hall, Arthur has wrapped himself around Merlin, who hums contentedly when Arthur kisses his cheek then nuzzles into the nape of his neck. 

“I love you,” he whispers into the dark hair, because some things bear repeating over and over. 

“I love you too,” Merlin whispers back. He wiggles back so that he’s even closer to Arthur’s warm weight, and before long Arthur’s rhythmic breaths on the back of his neck lull him to sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to come follow me on [Tumblr](http://fervidasaflame.tumblr.com/)! Help me fill my dash with Merthur :)


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